Dr. Gloom’s Crypt of Curiosities in Baltimore, Maryland ~

Baltimore always been a little strange, but this creepy museum might push it over the limit. Baltimore, especially at night, is certainly interesting, with its legends (stay tuned!), but probably you’re bored of the classic tourist destinations….so, why not visit Dr. Gloom’s Crypt of Curiosities? It’s located in the back room of Protean Books & Records, and the collection is a tour through peculiar artifacts from all over the world, like ghastly recreations of cryptids, characters from folklore, Fiji mermaids and mummified remains.

The original Crypt of Curiosities was first opened in 1954 in Greencastle, Indiana by Dr.Augustus Gloom. He was intrigued by strange and unusual things from a very young age. His morbid interest in death customs and strange tribal rituals lead his fellow students at Adamson University to called him “Gloomy Gus.” With this morose nickname, adopted proudly, he develop his creepy hobbies and began to gather the most incredible collection of outlandish artifacts in the continental United States. While Dr.Gloom studied for his PhD in Archeology, his sister Beatrice attended to the daily operations of the museum, that remained in Greencastle until the spring of 1977, when Dr. Gloom, at the age of 60, was killed in a strange accident with the ferris wheel. Beatrice Gloom sold the entire collection to the public library of Elm Buff, in Alabama, and the collection stayed in storage for a decade. Then it was purchased by notable cryptozoology enthusiast, Geena “Mean Geen” Bartolli, who converted her garage into what would become the modern Crypt of Curiosities. For decades, she gave small-group tours to excited visitors from around the world.

In the winter of 2015, Bartolli met the actual curator, horror filmmaker Chris LaMartina. Impressed by his motion picture, Call Girl of Cthulhu and his italian surname, she asked if he would be interested in maintaining the museum upon her retirement. LaMartina agreed with the condition that he could transfer the museum to Baltimore, his hometown, where the beloved Crypt of Curiosities is located still today.